


There's Something About Us

by elletromil



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Interstella 5555, Alternate Universe - Music & Bands, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Empathy, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mind Control, Mutual Pining, Soulmates, Temporary Character Death, aka my Daft Punk au, tags might be added, the villains having a ridiculous way of achieving world domination
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-08-18 21:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8176769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: Roxy had her eyes closed, twirling her drum sticks expertly but unnecessarily between beats, unbothered by the strands of brown hair that had gotten loose from her ponytail. Merlin had shuffled closer to her drumset, as he often did, his feet keeping her rhythm, eyes closed as if in concentration. Percival was half hunched over his keyboard, looking at the crowd without seeing it, his voice having taken that far-away edge that only added to the ethereal of their song.
 Without shame, he started swaying to their music, letting it wash over everything else so that only their harmony stayed.In which Eggsy, Roxy, Merlin and Percival are a famous alien music band, Harry is a hero of the Galactic Patrol and Valentine and Gazelle are evil humans.





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM FINALLY POSTING THIS
> 
> *couhgs* Sorry.
> 
> Okay so if you follow me on tumblr (same username do come and say hi :D), you might have heard me talking about that fic for like the past year. And by might have, I mean probably. Especially lately.
> 
> I thought of this fic last summer because for some reason I started listening to the song Something About Us and then wanted to watch Interstella 5555 (it's not on youtube anymore, not all the parts anyway, but last I checked this week it's still on Daily Motion) the animated movie that was made for Daft Punk's album Discovery. And well one thing led to another and of course I thought of it with Kingsman and that idea just wouldn't leave me alone. (Also even without knowing what I wanted to write about Dianyx on tumblr was the perfect enabler and telling me to write it).
> 
> If you have seen Interstella 5555 you probably know already the general direction I will be taking with this fic. At least for the like 14 first chapters or so. Because unlike all my other stories, I have a very descriptive outline of what I will be writing (about 5k) and know that there will be 20 chapters to this. I have 6 already written. I will be posting one each week, every saturday (except next week, next week it'll be on friday because I don't know if i'll have wi-fi in the cabine we'll be staying at for the canadian thanskgiving).
> 
> So yeah, you don't have to have seen Interstella 5555 to read this (Dia, my lovely test/beta reader, hasn't and I don't think she likes it any less) but just to give you the basic, it's about a band from a race of blue aliens that are kidnapped by some mean human for some nefarious purpose. Also, the plot is REALLY ridiculous, like if you have seen the movie, you'll know what I am talking about, but it's simply too fun to do anything else but this, so I am keeping it. Also if you HAVE seen the movie and it'll be boring, well, the last 6 chapters come all from my pretty little head, so that might be worth it.
> 
> Anyway. 
> 
> Before I stop talking I just want to say a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to my pandamuse Dia. Seriously, you are the greatest and the loveliest <3
> 
> And now I will let you read, hopefully the prologue will intrigue you :D

Richmond Valentine typed in his password and dialed down the volume, unworried that it would make him miss something. If his attention wasn't captured at the current volume, than it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

He settled down in his chair, preparing for another long night, facing the window. He was looking at the city spreading beneath his eyes without seeing it, the concerns he did his best to keep at bay returning with the twilight. It had been years, actual _years_ , since his last finding and despair was slowly gripping at his heart.

He was so _close_ to his goal, it was just _there_ , waiting within grasping distance and he just needed to hold out his hand to _touch_ it. But he was still missing the last piece.

That eluding piece. It was the first time such a long period had gone between two findings. As if nothing worthy was being done anymore anywhere. Oh, he had heard some echoes of notes, but they were only good to raise his blood pressure, they had always ended up being a disappointment.

He was contemplating giving up, at least for the night, when suddenly strings of music teased his ears. He perked up at once and, had he been another man, he would have find himself dancing, entranced by the melody.

But he wasn't another man, so he simply yelled for his assistant, quite unnecessarily as she was rarely farther than a few steps away.

"GAZELLEEEE!"

The woman got into the room as Valentine was raising the volume, making it hard to hear him over the music, but it was not like she didn't already know what he would say.

"This is it Gazelle! I've finally found it, I'm sure of it! This is exactly what have been missing all this time!" A manic glint of triumph had lighted his eyes, a change she was happy to notice. It had been disconcerting seeing her boss slowly losing hope, becoming listless. "You know what you gotta do Gazelle."

Gazelle tilted her head in acknowledgment, a dark smile spreading on her lips.


	2. One More Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Eggsy let himself get lost in the music, his fingers gliding on the strings of the guitar without having to think about any of it. He knew the song by heart, even if he would probably never get tired of playing it with his band._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the first chapter of the story! I'll only be posting on a Friday this week since I don't know if I'll have wi-fi tomorrow, but I'll go back to the regular schedule (posting one chapter each Saturday) next week!

**Part I - Discovery**

**One More Time**

Eggsy let himself get lost in the music, his fingers gliding on the strings of the guitar without having to think about any of it. He knew the song by heart, even if he would probably never get tired of playing it with his band. Now he could simply enjoy himself, not having to concentrate on anything but the elated feelings of performing before such a huge and diverse crowd.

The diversity was the most thrilling part, more than the amount of people that had come tonight to listen to their music live. At their beginning, back when they had still been performing in pubs and the likes, the crowd had been pretty much uniform. Tonight though, not only were there people of all ages, but Eggsy could see more than just blue skin.

In fact, the mass of people dancing to their music were a mix of multicolored skins, furs and scales. People from other planets had actually travelled to be here tonight and Eggsy still wasn’t over how awesome it was.

His cheeks hurt from smiling too much. He was getting a real kick out of knowing that the people were losing themselves to dance thanks to him and his friends. He spared a look at his fellow bandmates, smile stretching wider at seeing them in the same trance-like state that never failed to fall on them when they played together.

Roxy had her eyes closed, twirling her drum sticks expertly but unnecessarily between beats, unbothered by the strands of brown hair that had gotten loose from her ponytail. Merlin had shuffled closer to her drumset, as he often did, his feet keeping her rhythm, eyes closed as if in concentration. Percival was half hunched over his keyboard, looking at the crowd without seeing it, his voice having taken that far-away edge that only added to the ethereal of their song.

Without shame, he started swaying to their music, letting it wash over everything else so that only their harmony stayed.

~

The show had ended and the four of them were in their room backstage, changing into something more comfortable for the night of celebration they had planned as their aftershow. Eggsy was the first to be done and he stepped closer to where the bassist was sitting, mumbling grumpily as he removed that foundation their make-up artist insisted on applying on his bald head.

"Say Merlin..." he started asking, waiting to have the other's attention on him before continuing. "Is... Is Harry going to be there?"

Merlin opened his mouth to answer, but before even a word could make it past his lips, Roxy jumped in front of him.

"Seriously!?! You're still not over your crush?" She was looking more amused than surprised and Eggsy could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "D'awwww, you're so cute! Hopeless, but cute!"

She reached out to pinch his cheek and he shoved her away. Not hard enough that she could lose her balance and risk hurting herself, but enough to convey he wasn't finding her funny in the least. Her only reaction was to chuckle in delight, finding some perverse pleasure in making her friend turn purple.

"While she really shouldn't be teasing you for it," Percival glared warningly at his sister, "Roxy's right. You barely even say a word to the man when he's there."

Percival was right, of course. He very rarely wasn’t.

The problem was, while Eggsy wasn’t exactly shy, he would find himself tongue-tied every time he was in presence of someone he was attracted to. And he was definitely attracted to Harry, had been since he had first laid eyes on him.

It had been a couple of years ago, just when their band had started gaining popularity. They had just ended one of their shows in a club and Harry, a friend of Merlin's from his days with the Galactic Patrol, had been there. The man had been very enthusiastic about his enjoyment of their music and had seemed so thrilled to meet Merlin’s other friends.

They had met up at the end of other shows several times after that and Harry’s genuine encouragement had been a huge boost for all of them. He had always seemed to have some special words just for Eggsy and the guitarist had soaked up on the attention.

Two months later, Eggsy had been slowly gathering his courage to finally ask the other man out and everything would have been great if only Harry and the other Patrollers that had also started assisting their show hadn’t been called away on an emergency in another quadrant before Eggsy could have said anything. Not that it should have stopped him from asking Harry the next time they met, but it had been the moment Eggsy had realised that Merlin’s friend Harry from the Galactic Patrol was the same as Harry bloody Hart, the most decorated Patroller there ever was.

The man was a damn hero who had devoted his life to the protection of others. He might enjoy their music, but there was no way he would be interested in dating a simple guitarist like him, no matter how famous he’d get.

Meanwhile, Merlin had finished removing all the make-up and had gotten up to step closer to Eggsy, ignoring the other members of their band.

“Unfortunately, he’s on patrol near Savile’s outpost for the next few weeks.”

Eggsy couldn’t help the sound of disappointment he made at the news. He might not say much to Harry himself, but the Patroller never failed to have some kind words for him. Nowadays, he never stayed long after saying them to Eggsy, further confirming that he really had no real interest in him, but the fact that he always made the time to specifically tell him how he enjoyed his performance kept his ridiculous hope alive.

“You really should talk to him Eggsy. Seriously, he likes you a lot, but he always think I’m lying when I say the feeling is mutual.” It was another reason his hope would simply not die. Merlin was always encouraging him to just bloody talk with the man, but reassurances that Harry liked him weren’t the same as reassurances that he shared in the same feelings.

He was about to say something to that effect, but was cut off by the sound of sirens blaring.

“What the-?!?”


	3. Aerodynamic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Get down!” Merlin yelled before ducking under one of the make-up table, but his warning came too late for the others. He heard them hit the ground and had to fight the urge to go to them, pushing the worry he felt for them deep down. He had no time to lose wondering if they were simply unconscious or gravely hurt, his Galactic Patroller training kicking in. Without any hesitation he got the laser gun he always kept on his person and shot the robots so they would no longer be operational.

Before any of them had time to react to the siren, humanoid robots burst into the room, some kind of gun pointed at them.

“Get down!” Merlin yelled before ducking under one of the make-up table, but his warning came too late for the others. He heard them hit the ground and had to fight the urge to go to them, pushing the worry he felt for them deep down. He had no time to lose wondering if they were simply unconscious or gravely hurt, his Galactic Patroller training kicking in. Without any hesitation he got the laser gun he always kept on his person and shot the robots so they would no longer be operational.

Merlin really shouldn’t have had this gun in his possession anymore, not since he left the Patrollers, but even if one could get out of the Galactic Patrol, you couldn’t stop them from being paranoid bastards, and so he had soon found ways to never go unharmed.

Once he had made sure no other robots were going to get into the room, he rushed to Roxy, heaving a sigh of relief when it became clear she was merely unconscious. He had known she wasn’t dead or he would have went into shock instead of his instinct taking over, but she could still have been badly injured. The situation was no less dangerous than before, but he far more preferred knowing that whoever was behind the attack did not really wanted them to be hurt.

He was about to go inspect their attackers, hoping to glean more insights on whom might be behind this, when he heard sounds in the corridor and he cursed darkly when he caught sight of a metallic glint. He knew it had been too much to hope it would be whatever Patrollers were currently assigned to the protection of their homeworld. At least, not when Harry wasn’t there to lead them.

He quickly dispatched the other robots and set to make his way outside. He wished he didn’t have to abandon his bondmate and his friends, but right now, it was the best course of action. He could not carry them with him and he would need to be on high alert until he knew more about the situation.

Merlin made it outside, but instead of relaxing him, the apparent calmness put him on edge. If the siren was still blaring, it only meant he needed to proceed with even more caution. Finding a spot out of the way that offered him a clear view of all the alleys and where no one could get behind him, he got out his communicator. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to contact any Patroller right now, lest he distracted them at a critical moment, but he could always listen into their communications to know where he would be of more help.

The only problem with that, was that his communicator could pick no signal at all. He forced the panic in his chest down and took a moment to think carefully of his next step. He did not know who was behind the invasion, didn’t know their true goal and did not know if there was any true fatality. It wasn’t because he and his friends hadn’t been hurt, that the same applied to everyone. He might not have been feeling any of the ill effects from a death, but it was possible it only meant he wasn’t close enough.

The only thing he knew for sure was that whoever was orchestrating the attack didn’t want word of it getting out of the city at the very least, if it wasn’t the whole planet altogether.

Well tough luck. It might take some fiddling, but when it came to technology, Merlin could operate bloody miracles in his sleep. He only needed to go to the nearest broadcasting tower so that he could boost his signal and then he would contact Harry. His friend might be too far to do anything right now, but he was still their best bet. At the very least he would know who to contact to coordinate the swiftest response for a rescue.

~

Merlin had safely made it to the top of one of the tower and he let himself relax when he finally got a signal to his communicator. It would unfortunately not allow him to hear anything from his interlocutor, but his message should reach Harry without problems.

He still wished there was anything he could do to hear him, because his friend had always been able to calm him in the worst of situation. But he simply had no time to bypass what was jamming their communications, not when he hadn't the faintest idea what he was up against.

He tensed when he heard a sound behind him, turning quickly. He abandoned his communicator where it laid, instead raising his laser to defend himself.

It was yet more of those humanoid robots and they were easily taken care of, maybe too easily. He jumped out of a new attacker’s way just in time, never more grateful for his stint with the Patrol than at the current moment.

He was about to fire again at his opponent, until he realised that the female-like being was a living being, even if her legs were made of what seemed to be sharp-edged metal. Maybe it was a mistake, but his training to block off the pain of an untimely death was too far behind that he couldn’t have make the kill without dire repercussions to himself. It was one of the disadvantages of being from a race so sensitive to the various energies interconnecting every lifeforms.

Merlin quickly revised his previous musing when he noticed the cruel smile blooming on his opponent’s face. There was no _maybe_ about it, it was definitely a mistake. He had the feeling that contrary to him, she would feel no qualms using any force necessary to bring him down.

Still, he had not been a Patroller for nothing. Merlin would not go down without a fight and he took a defensive stance to show his intentions. Hopefully he would last long enough for the reinforcements to reach him.

There was a chance his plan would have work, if only the woman had not thrown a metallic ball at his feet. Merlin was not quick enough to avoid the cloud of gas released from it, its effects on him nearly instantaneous.

He just had the time to feel something catch him before he could hit the ground, then he only knew darkness.


	4. Digital Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blaring of an alarm shook him out of his imaginings abruptly and it was a good thing the repairs Harry was doing were in a zero gravity room or he would have caused more even damages to his ship when he lost his grip on his tool.

_Harry wasn’t usually one for dancing, but there was_ something _in the music that simply made it impossible to resist. And while he might not be giving himself entirely to the rhythm like the vast majority of the other patrons, he didn’t really try to stop himself from swaying in time with the melody._

_Another time he would have felt more self-conscious, especially since he was on his own in the crowd that was mostly comprised of small groups of friends or couples from what he could infer, but the band on stage had a way to make everyone feel included, as if they were a part of a whole._

_It was, of course, the basic of truth that everything,_ everyone _, was connected in one way or another, a truth Harry’s people didn’t need to_ learn _because they_ knew _it even before they took their first breath, thanks to their low-level telepathy and empathy._

_The breathtaking part of this moment however was in the effortless way the band was doing it, how they made that connection nearly visible without even trying._

_Harry had known high-level empaths and telepaths who would be cyan with jealousy at their ability and yet it was clear that it was merely a coincidental result of their music._

_No matter how the night would end, Harry knew he would never regret his decision to come and attend Merlin’s show, not when it meant being a part of this moment._

*

 _For the first time in his life, Harry understood the saying_ love at first sight.

 _While technically he’d seen the young man on stage before, it was only when Merlin introduced them and Eggsy smiled shyly at him but with such genuine pleasure at making his acquaintance Harry could_ feel _it, that he fell under the guitarist unassuming charm._

_He would feel bad about paying Eggsy so much attention, nearly to the point of ignoring all the others, if the young man hadn’t seem to be as taken by him._

_He could be mistaken of course, there was simply too many people around to determine if the connection he felt was indeed mutual, but it gave him hope when Eggsy seemed genuinely sad to see him go at the end of the night. The promise that he would come back to see them play as soon as his schedule permitted it fell from his lips without his wanting to, but he couldn’t regret his words at the beaming smile he got in return._

*

_As promised, Harry had come back again. And again. And again._

_And every time Eggsy spotted him in the crowd, the guitarist seemed to light up from the inside and it was just so easy to grasp that feeling of connection to the whole that they always brought with their music._

_This time, he had brought along some members of his unit from the Galactic Patrol, all old friends of Merlin. Judging from the way they were dancing, seemingly without a care in the world, they could feel it too. Not that Harry had had any real doubts, but Merlin had been telling him he was biased because of the slow bond that was starting to develop between him and Eggsy._

_Now_ that _, he had more trouble believing. Of course Harry wouldn’t deny he was interested in being more than friends with Eggsy, but so far the guitarist had given him no indication that the same could be said for him. Not that he had shut down any of Harry’s abysmal attempt at flirting either, but he was the first to admit that they could be considered as overture of friendship._

_However, tonight was, as the saying went,_ the _night._

_Tonight he would invite Eggsy on a date and leave him with no ambiguity as to his true intentions regarding their relationship._

_Like always when the band finished their set and left the backstage for the bar, Harry stood up to go fetch them each a drink and as usual, Eggsy followed him to help, seemingly uninterested in the round of introductions of Merlin’s old Galactic Patrols pals. Harry was very careful not to look too closely at any of his so called friends’ expression. To the casual observer, they wouldn’t seem to be doing much, but Harry knew all the microscopic tells that meant they would be waggling their eyebrows suggestively at him if they weren’t in uniform._

_As they were waiting for their order, Eggsy took hold of his wrist in a swift move and before Harry could react, he had tied a light pink and gold bracelet around his wrist._

_“Percy thought we should start selling some merch.” Eggsy told him with a shy smile, cheeks reddening when he realised how the gesture could be taken. “Not that I want you to pay for it or anything, it’s a gift since you always come see us when you have a chance and you’re just so supportive and-”_

_“Thank you, Eggsy,” Harry interrupted gently. He would gladly listen to him talk for hours, but the guitarist was clearly embarrassed by his own blabbering and Harry only ever wanted him to be comfortable in his presence. Maybe what he was about to ask next would defeat that purpose for some time, but it would get far more awkward between them if Harry was to never tell him about his feelings. And if Eggsy was not interested, well he wouldn’t have to stay alone with Harry for the rest of the night after they got back with the rest of their group. “I would like… Well that is to say, I was wondering if you’d like to…”_

_If the ground could have opened under his feet and swallowed him whole in this very instant, Harry would have been grateful. He wasn’t used to this, for the words to be so difficult to get out in sentences that made sense. Not that Eggsy seemed to mind, he kept patiently looking at him with that small smile of his, the one that would be barely noticeable if it wasn’t for the little spark in his eyes._

_Harry took a deep breath to center himself again, opened his mouth and-_

_“Hart! We need to leave now! Pirates have been sighted in the delta quadrant!”_

_“Fuck.” Eggsy eyes were wide with shock, probably because of his out-of-character use of the expletive. He would ask for forgiveness for such uncouth language, but time was of the essence when dealing with pirates. His apology would have to wait for another day._

_With any luck, Merlin would made his excuses for him and Eggsy wouldn’t hold a grudge at being abandoned without even a simple goodbye._

*

Eggsy hadn’t hold a grudge and their interactions had been as friendly and warmth as ever. But that had been it. That little _edge_ of something else, something _more_ , had as good as vanished.

Not that Harry could blame Eggsy.

Being a Galactic Patroler was often dangerous business and to be reminded in such a way that Harry could be called away at any time with no reassurances that he would be back must had been a distressing eye-opener.

If Eggsy had decided it would be best to just stay friends, Harry would respect his decision and count himself lucky to have that much.

Of course, respecting Eggsy’s choice didn’t stop the fantasies. Even if 'fantasy' might be too strong a word for the mostly innocent daydreams he caught himself having when there was no emergency to distract him.

Mostly he would imagine what could have happened if there had been no pirates that day, if he had found the words to ask Eggsy out for dinner at a later date. Imagine the kind of night they would have had together if Eggsy had accepted. He would imagine walking Eggsy home, stopping at his door, both laughing and flushed with pleasure. Raising a hand and asking in a whisper for permission to touch. Being granted that permission and cupping the back of the young man’s head, leaning forward until their lips-

The blaring of an alarm shook him out of his imaginings abruptly and it was a good thing the repairs Harry was doing were in a zero gravity room or he would have caused even more damages to his ship when he lost his grip on his tool.

He went back to the control room in record time and for a time didn’t understand why his monitors was still showing him the homeworld.

He knew he was already grossly abusing the Galactic Patrol’s resources by hacking into the broadcasting feeds of all of his friends’ concert whenever he couldn’t attend, but an alert would have bypassed anything Harry had done.

His heart stopped when he finally saw the unmoving bodies on the ground of his city and he dearly hoped that the reason he wasn’t feeling any psychic backlash was simply because there was none to feel and not because he was still too far to be affected by so many deaths.

Before he could linger too long on the thought however, he picked up an encoded transmission that looked extremely familiar. As the ship AI work on breaking the encryption, Harry did a long-range scan of the area, dread filling his heart when he could pick no activity. If the planet was under attack, there should have been a few ships from the Galactic Patrol making there way over, much like Harry’s, but the whole area was empty. Even communications seemed jammed, except for that transmission he had picked up, because no matter what he tried he couldn’t raise anyone at the home base. In fact, he couldn’t raise anyone, period.

So focused on picking up something, _anything_ , he didn’t realised the AI had finished working on the encoded message and he startled when he heard the familiar brogue of his old friend Merlin.

For a second he felt relief that his friend was still alive, but the emotion was soon replaced by dread as he heard the content of his transmission.

Their planet was indeed under attack and so far there was no fatalities, but the invaders were very clearly hostile and looking for something. Even more worrying was learning how there didn’t seem to be any planetside defense. The moment Harry got there, in about a quarter of an hour if the ship’s AI was to be trusted, he would be well and truly alone.

That was when the scanner picked up the signal of a ship of unknown made leaving the planet’s atmosphere. Harry cursed, but fortunately, his state of the art - and kind of illegal - cloaking system hold true and they did not notice him. Or at the very least, they were highly uninterested in engaging with him.

He debated for a moment if he should hail them, before coming to the conclusion that discretion would be his best course of action at the time being. He knew he would get reprimanded for not going over to the planet and see of what help he could be, but he simply couldn’t let that ship escape, not when he had no idea where it was from. Even the AI couldn’t tell him anything about it, except for observations Harry himself could have made.

Carefully, always making sure he stayed at a safe distance, Harry followed the unknown ship through the solar system, hoping he wasn’t making the worst mistake of his career.

His hopes were dashed when he saw a portal open near a field of asteroid. Portals were fickle things at the best of time, even if that one seemed stable enough. Who knew where it would lead him and if he could ever come back?

But Harry was a Patroller. He had pledged to protect the galaxy and any of its inhabitants.

Right now the best way to do it was to gather any information on this new enemy and trusting in the Galactic relays scattered around the galaxy to pick up on his AI’s transmissions and help the rest of the Patrol in devising a plan for if the intruders came back.

With a last thought for his friends hopefully still alive on the planet, he braced himself for what would surely be a bumpy ride and entered the portal right before its opening could close.


	5. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxy was dreaming.

Roxy was dreaming.

She was dreaming of running through the orange fields of their parents’ farm at the outskirts of the big city, rolling down the low hills with her brother, watching the green clouds of the purple sky and making stories out of their shape.

No that wasn’t right.

She was dreaming of running through the green fields of the English countryside at their parents’ country house, rolling down the low hills with her brother, watching the white clouds of the blue sky and making stories out of their shape.

Yes. That made more sense.

She kept dreaming.

Dreaming of skipping school on boring days, escaping to the city and meeting a boy her age with what could have been rays of sun for hair. Of silly adventures and pretending to be space adventurers, stealing a ship and discovering the stars. She dreamt of a new friend, a friend wishing for the same thing, a goal that seem unrealisable alone, but maybe together it could be within their reach.

Somehow, it wasn’t quite right.

She dreamt of skipping school on boring days, of wandering the streets of London and meeting a boy doing much the same with hair like the sun. Silly adventures and pretending they were anything but what they were, two kids sharing an impossible dream.

That was better.

Still she dreamt some more.

She dreamt of meeting a man, a man who would have looked severe, maybe even scary, if it hadn’t been for the sadness in his dark, nearly black eyes. A man who had been broken, but wasn’t waiting for anyone to put back together the pieces of his soul. A man who had witnessed horrors and was only all that more kind for having done so.

She dreamt of falling in love slowly, irremediably, and for it to be so natural that she never questioned it. She dreamt of reciprocated feelings, of lingering looks and gentle touches. She dreamt of a connection to another being she had always heard of but never quite believed in. Dreamt of a shared strength, of protecting weaknesses that wasn’t hers, only to be equally protected when she most needed it.

Except that wasn’t quite right.

She dreamt of meeting a man, a severe looking one but with a heart of gold. She dreamt of an intimacy she never thought possible, but never going past that edge of _more_.

She dreamt of longing looks and shy brushes of skin against skin. She dreamt of neither of them taking that step forward.

That was more like it.

~

Roxy woke up briefly, tensed for a fight.

A fight against what she didn’t know, but something was _wrong_ that much she knew. There was a sense of unbearable _loss_ she simply couldn’t stand and she would turn the world upside down to find whatever it was again.

However, before she could straighten up on the bed she was lying in, she felt the prickle of a needle in her arm and her limbs started to grow heavy. She just had the time to turn her head to the side and have a glimpse at blue skin on the edge of another bed.

Everything she remembered of the world told her it was impossible and yet somehow she could vaguely recall a familiar dream of blue skin and belonging.

Then, Roxy lost consciousness again and knew nothing more but the memories that made her feel like an impostor.

*

Gazelle frowned when all the aliens showed signs of waking up during the memory alteration process.

It wasn’t unusual, not really, there had been mentally strong individuals before them who had resisted for a time against invasion of their mind. Not that that it did them any good, the technology was far too strong for any living being.

But for all four of them to fight the process meant it was something about that race rather than the individual. It might prove valuable to conduct some more tests once they would have served their purpose.

The moment she came to that conclusion, the female regained consciousness and Gazelle hurried over, pushing the medbots out of her way with little care. They were quite useless in unfamiliar situations and one of the aliens waking up before the memory alteration process was completed had never happened.

As she was injecting the alien with another dose of sedative, she checked on the monitor what had been the latest memory altered, hoping it would provide her with a clue as to how the alien at been able to fight off the machine.

Gazelle scoffed when she saw it was images of the bald alien who seemed to be the female’s partner. Not that he would be after the process was completed, because Valentine didn’t need his newest poppets to be distracted by pesky feelings like love. Still, for a second, Gazelle entertained the idea that modifying the alien’s memories in order to make her believe that the relationship between her and the bald male had never progressed past the stage of friendship was the reason the female had fought back against the machine enough to wake up.

But that was simply ridiculous. Not only the rest of her band wasn’t reacting that much to the process, but previous subjects sometimes had had entire family and hadn’t even twitched in their drugged sleep.

It was probably simply a fluke, something to do with the dosage of the sedative not being high enough. She would have to make a note for next time, to adjust the dosage consequently, but she stopped in her tracks before she could get to the computer and started chuckling softly.

There was no need for such a note, because those aliens were the last piece to Valentine’s goal. In a couple of months at most, the universe would belong to him. There would be no need for such a crude method as sedation and memory alteration then, not when it would only take a word from the man to make army move to do his bidding.

She was still smiling rather cruelly at her imaginings of the near future when Valentine joined her in the medbay of their ship to inquire about their latest passengers.

“The alteration process should be completed soon, the mind controllers are ready to be attached and we’ll start the body modifications right after.” Her lip curled in disgust as she looked at their appearance, a sentiment Valentine more than shared. Sure they had had aliens that had looked even more different and otherworldly, but somehow their blue skin on bodies that could pass as human made them even more disturbing. “As soon as we land on Earth they’ll be ready to record.”

“Good, I’ll call James immediately to tell him I have a new discovery for him.”

Belying his words, he stayed for a while to look at his newest acquisitions, until the mind controllers had been fasten on them, looking like any ordinary pair of glasses. He nearly clapped excitedly at being that much closer to his lifelong dream, but one glance at his ever so serious assistant stopped him where he stood

Anyway, he had a very important call to make. Celebrations would have to wait.


	6. Crescendolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say James Lancelot was excited when he got Valentine’s phone call would have been the understatement of the year. Maybe even the decade.

To say James Lancelot was excited when he got Valentine’s phone call would have been the understatement of the year. Maybe even the decade.

It had been some time since he had had news from the man and he had been sad to think that the rumours floating in the industry had been true, that Valentine had retired after finding his last pearl of talent.

Of course there were a lot of successful talent hunters out there, but Valentine truly had a knack for it. It didn’t matter in what genre the musicians and singers he found would be performing, they would always become an instant hit around the world. No artist he referred had ever known a flop in his entire career. No one knew for sure just how many Golden Disks Valentine’s had claimed in the name of his artists, but James wouldn’t be surprised if that number was in the thousands.

Which was why when Valentine had asked if he could make use of one of his recording rooms in exchange for signing his new band with his label, James hadn’t even asked for a sample of the music. As the head of a music company, James had had to learn to take calculated risk and he’d rather pay the price if it turned out Valentine could be mistaken than to lose a lucrative opportunity to one of The Round Table’s competitors.

He made sure to clear his schedule for the entire afternoon, giving his secretary instructions that, unless the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse or something equally dire came to their doorstep, he would be unavailable to all.

Bors, his secretary, had grumbled a bit at being used as a buffer between his boss and the oversized egos that would surely come knock at the door and demand to talk to James, but had been reminded that the generous annual bonus he received was directly proportional to the amount of people he fend off when James told him to do so. That had shut Bors up quickly.

When he was joined in the recording room by Valentine and his newest find, James couldn’t have been happier about the instructions he had given Bors. For once he didn’t care about Valentine’s lack of good manners when he failed to introduce him to the members of the band. He didn’t care either that they had not started to play yet, that they hadn’t even reached for their instruments. Hell, they could play the most atrocious music James had ever heard and he would still think today was the best day of his life.

All for the simple reason that James had just fallen in love at first sight.

If he had to choose between being offered the musical equivalent of the Holy Grail or having that man smiling at him, he would offer his resignation right then and there, not even bothering to claim his stuff from his office.

When he saw the man grabbing one of the microphone to arrange it in front of the keyboard, he _knew_ he was well and truly fucked. Contrary to popular belief, James was quite self-aware. And he knew, oh how he knew, that he had always had a thing for the singers and probably always would. His only saving grace would be if the man couldn’t carry a tune to save himself, but at this point he very well doubted it.

Even Gazelle, whom James had never been ashamed to admit was downright scary at her best, seemed to exude smugness and triumph instead of her usual murderous intent.

It only took a few notes to understand what had her in such a good mood.

The band Valentine had brought over was simply _fantastic_ and James never used that word lightly, not in his line of work.

For the entire duration of the song, he forgot all about his newest crush. Sure he had the voice of an actual angel right out of James’ sweetest dreams, but that was only one small component of their music. What truly mattered was the harmony they created together. What mattered was that entire world they seem to reveal with each new chord, the one he got sucked into and didn’t want to leave ever if he could help.

They couldn’t have reached the middle of their song that James was already swaying in time with them, happily lost in their melody, wishing that moment of _connection_ would never end.

It was a good thing that Valentine had already promised him he would have the band sign under The Round Table label, because right now, James couldn’t have negotiated a deal to save his life. Actually, there wasn’t much of the world around him that interested James besides the performance he had had the privilege to witness.

Once the song was over, it took a moment before James got back to reality, but when he did he clapped with enthusiasm, going over to the musicians to shake their hands and introduce himself, knowing full well he couldn’t wait on Valentine to do so.

His smile lost a bit of his genuineness however when he noticed just how listless they seemed to be now that they were no longer playing their instruments. He could see that it wasn’t rudeness on their part, only what look like a total indifference, as if the fire that had seemed to burn within them had been extinguish as soon as they had let their instruments go.

It was strange, very, very strange, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He told himself that everyone reacted to stress differently, but he had to suppress a shiver of uneasiness at how Gazelle and Valentine shepherded them to his office to sign on a contract.

They might not seem to be acting under duress, but he made a mental note to ask Bors to conduct a small investigation on their newest band and what Valentine had been up to in the last months. With any luck, it would only give his secretary another reason to pester him into taking a much needed vacation, before James could become even more paranoid.

~

The uneasiness hadn’t left him entirely once the contracts had been signed and filed away, but the excitement over planning the marketing strategy for _Kingsman_ had push the first feeling into a corner of his mind to be dealt with later. Not that the newest band of The Round Table would need that much marketing considering their music seemed to be a gift from the gods themselves, but in this business, it was always better to be prepared.

One did not get on top and stayed there through sheer luck, but with hard work and dedication, which James always had had handful of.

When everyone had risen to their feet to leave the office, James had try to go after his crush, or rather, Percival, if his signature could be trusted, but Valentine had gotten in his way, allowing Gazelle to lead the newly named _Kingsman_ band to the elevators that would get them to the exit.

James would have bemoaned his lost opportunity at talking to Percival a little longer, maybe even convince him to go out for a good cuppa or something, but he consoled himself quickly, knowing he would have more than enough time in the following weeks. In the grand scheme of things, waiting a few days more before knowing if there was a relationship to pursue or not with Percival wouldn’t hurt him.

“James, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?”

The question made him laughed in disbelief because really, after bringing the newest addition to his label, Valentine could have asked him anything short of murdering someone and James would have done it without hesitation.

“Whatever it is, I’ll be happy to do it.”

The smile he was offered in return for his answer didn’t quite reached Valentine’s eyes, but James couldn’t remember a time it ever did.

“Good, good. It’s not much really,” he reached into the pockets of his oversized jacket and brandished four cassettes, “just wondering if you could keep these for safekeeping.”

Perplexed, he accepted the tapes with a nod, silently wondering what could be so important on such an old piece of tech. Valentine must have seen his expression and correctly guessed what was on his mind however because he chuckled dismissively.

“It’s simply a record of their music. Now I know using a cassette is rather old-fashioned, but well, they’re _artists_.”

He said that last word like it explained everything, which anyone who had been in the entertainment business for more than a day would have agreed on.

But the thing that didn’t sit well with James was how Valentine had been in possession of the tapes and not one of the band. Wouldn’t a musician who went to such great length to record his songs hold on to it with the utmost care?


	7. Nightvision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, overall, Percival couldn’t say he hated these new experiences. The problem lied in how he couldn’t say he enjoyed them either. What he felt was total indifference.

Percival didn’t know if he could take it anymore.

The last couple of months had been exhausting, more so than he would have believed possible. Of course promoting _Kingsman_ was a never ending process of interviews and special appearances on TV shows, of recording new songs and filming music videos. It was all he had ever dreamed of, what they had all aimed for the moment they had gotten together. And it wasn’t that Percival didn’t like it. Well maybe he would do without the multiple interviews that only rehash the same questions again and again, but it wasn’t like they were answering any of them.

Valentine and Gazelle took care of fielding those, so much so that Percival wondered why their presences were necessary at all.

No, overall, he couldn’t say he hated these new experiences. The problem lied in how he couldn’t say he enjoyed them either. What he felt was total indifference.

Of course he had never been the most expressive of man, but that didn’t mean he felt no emotion. And yet, since Valentine had taken over as their agent, nothing seemed to affect him anymore.

The only time he felt somehow alive now were when they performed, especially in front of a crowd, those moments when they could give live to the music in their soul. But he could never hold on that feeling, lethargy grabbing a hold of him as soon as he stepped away from the keyboard.

His sister and two friends weren’t faring any better than him from what he could observe. He would ask to be sure, but for some reason, it seem like an insurmountable task, one he didn’t know where to find the energy for.

It was so troubling how they didn’t know how to talk to each other anymore. Each day, whenever they had nothing scheduled, they would just stay in the same room together, silently lost in their own thoughts.

Even Roxy and Merlin hadn’t so much has brushed against one another for the past few months. They still exchanged longing looks that would have drove Percival crazy, if it hadn’t been for how worried he was for the couple.

He frowned and shook his head at that thought.

Roxy and Merlin had never been together, even if anyone with eyes could see how much they both wanted it. Why did he had the impression that he hadn’t imagine them being all cuddly together then? And why was the memory-like fabrication tinged in familiar blue?

The thought escaped him, like they always did lately and trying to grasp it tightly only made it disappear all that much quicker.

He sighed, his gaze landing on Eggsy. He worried about him too, maybe even more so than the other two.

Of them all, he seem the less tethered to reality, the most prone to losing himself into waking dreams.

Not that Percival could truly blame him. Even if neither of them had accepted the reality of their situation yet, it was simply natural for Eggsy to be longing for…

The thread of his thoughts unraveled again, but he was too damn tired to even curse at himself.

He felt as if he would only need to follow one of his thought through the end and everything would finally start making sense. But they kept eluding him, as if his own mind was working against him.

Before he could linger on his predicament any longer, James bursted through the doors, looking slightly more manic than usual. If Percival was being honest, it was truly adorable how excited James would get when he had the smallest of news to share with them. He would always bypass Valentine and Gazelle completely, even if those two were the only ones that would react in any way to whatever he would be telling them.

If it wasn’t for the amount of energy it would require, Percival would try and smile back. He would try to show the man who had been nothing but a friend to them that his joy was shared.

Or at least, that Percival shared it. He wasn’t sure about the others, but every time he was in a room with James, the world seem a bit brighter around him, more real even. Not as much as when they were performing, but he couldn’t help but think that if he could only get closer to the other man, if he could only reach out for him, then everything would get into focus.

He had his chance to touch him, to just clasp his hand around his shoulder as James was excitedly babbling about how he had managed to score them an entire stadium of all things, but before he could complete the gesture, Valentine got in the way.

Percival let his hand fall back to his side, missing the pointed look their agent gave Gazelle as he steered James out of the room under the pretense to further discuss the details of their upcoming concert.

He didn’t care when the woman got out a strange looking machine and start to fiddle with it.

In fact, he absentmindedly wondered what had even been there to care about in the first place.

***

The drizzle was already starting to wash the ink of the newspaper away, but Harry cared very little. He had already gotten all the information he needed from it, the universal translator he had cannibalized from his crashed ship having done its job and unjumbled whatever this alien race used as a written language into something he could understand.

Of course finding where exactly was situated the London Stadium and a safe path to it through the rather extensive sewer system of this city would take some time, but Harry had faith that with his short range scanner, he could find a discrete entrance for himself within a day at most.

No, the difficult part would be to leave his secluded spot in the alley near the tower his friends were being detained most evenings and overnight.

He loathed losing sight of them even for a second, terrorized of what could happen to them. Unfortunately, during the day there was actually very little he could do but to watch them embark in a car and hope that wouldn’t be the day they would be moved to another location. He could, and would, find them again, but the surrounding area of the tower offered him with a perfect hiding place all the while letting him keep an eye on his friends whenever they would be at the window.

Much like he was doing right now, hoping he could somehow send a signal to Eggsy, make him understand that help was coming.

Not that Eggsy was in any condition to recognize such a signal. None of his friends were.

That more than anything made his blood boil in his veins, made him clench his fist with the desire to make someone pay for the atrocity they dared to perpetuate.

Because it might have taken him a few days before spotting the piece of barbaric technology that impeded on his friends’ ability to have thoughts of their own and that controlled their every actions, but he had known right away that something was undeniably wrong.

Of course at first he had simply thought the reason Merlin wasn’t fighting teeth and nails to escape their kidnappers was because said kidnappers had found some leverage on the ex-Patroller. Harry knew that if they had threatened to go after Roxy if he attempted anything funny, no matter that his friend’s soulmate could take care of herself in a fight, that would have make Merlin really think things through before acting.

But the blank looks on their faces every time they had gotten out of the tower had made him shiver with unease, reminding him of the look on those poor souls on Brogues’ colony who had been forced into slavery by the megalomaniac in power. He had hoped, _pleaded_ even, to deities he didn’t believed in, to be mistaken, that there was no such device on this planet, that alien specie or not, they would find the idea of robbing any being of their free will as abhorring as it was to the rest of the Galaxy.

Unfortunately, that had not been the case. He couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just that particular individual, the one who had abducted his friends, who dared use such a loathsome ploy, but he had no time to waste thinking about how one person did not make the entire specie.

Not when the discrete blinking light on all his friends’ glasses, those glasses they were never seen without even in the dead of night, had been all indication enough that his worst fear was very real.

It was the only plausible reason to have a piece of technology so close to the brain, except of course if it had been some kind of remotely activated explosives, but under surveillance or not, Merlin would have been out of such a contraption in no time at all.

Harry had no doubts that Merlin could fight against the mind control machine given enough time to build up a tolerance to his signal, but time was exactly what they didn’t have. If Harry wanted to save his friends, he would have to do it all alone.

Hopefully, the two weeks left before the concert at the London stadium would leave Harry with enough time to finish tinkering with the equipment that would allow him to disrupt the signal controlling his friends. He might not have Merlin’s skills with technology, but with the right incentive, he wasn’t to be trifled with either.

Then it would be a matter of finding the right occasion to use the device, but if London Stadium was even a tenth of the size of those back home, surely he would have plenty of opportunity.

With great reluctance he looked away from Eggsy’s form still standing by the window. Soon enough, Harry would be able to watch him as much as he could want and Eggsy would again be grinning without a care in the universe instead of having that blank expression.

For now though, Harry had work to do.


	8. Superheroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin had known for weeks now that something was wrong.
> 
> He knew his own mind, knew it wasn’t like him to be so listless except at the say so of two complete strangers.

As the date of the concert was drawing nearer, Harry grew more and more anxious. It was of course a feeling he was more than familiar with, but it had never gotten to such an extent.

Usually, he had the assurance that even if he were to fail in a mission, the whole of the Galactic Patrol stood behind him and they would not let his sacrifice be in vain.

However, here today, he was well and truly alone. He couldn’t even enlist the help of well-meaning civilians, because who knew what would be their reaction to him? He might not have been on this planet very long and he might have been hidden most of the time, but he had seen just enough to know they were not always the most inclusive of people and that they were completely unaware that the rest of the galaxy was populated by more beings than they had ever imagined.

No, his best shot was tonight, when, if he was lucky, his private tutelage under Merlin over the years would finally pay off. Constructing the device from various part of his ship had taken the most time, even more than finding a safe route to the stadium while avoiding being seen, but it was finally done and just in time too. He would have to thank Merlin once it was all over, for forcing Harry to learn how not to always rely on specs when it came to technology. Sure, it was helpful, but anyone with two braincells to rub together could follow those plans. True self-reliance when it came to technology was about the ability to improvise with what was underhand and without any instructions to follow.

Merlin truly had a gift for it, which had been the reason he had been recruited in the Galactic Patrol and why Harry had taken notice of him. Because, while Harry could more or less make do, an expert he wasn’t and would never be. However, it hadn’t mean he couldn’t improve and upon seeing Merlin’s skills, he had asked him to teach him all that he could.

It had been the start of their friendship and had ended up being one of the best idea Harry had ever had in his life when Merlin had refused to enlist for another tour with the Galactic Patrol after meeting and bonding with Roxy. There wasn’t that many good tech experts in the Patrol and at least that way, he didn’t have to rely on maybe being sent with one on a mission, especially when they couldn’t begin to compare with his friend.

As he approached the stadium, he shook himself from thoughts of the past. Now more than ever, he needed to be on his guard and make sure no one got the jump on him.

There was but a few hours separating him from freeing his friends. Of course afterwards, they would have to figure out how to get back home, but at least they would be together.

He only wished he could have tested the little device that would hopefully disrupt whatever signal that rendered his friends no better than slaves to that horrid man, but he couldn’t risk being detected when he couldn’t get them away.

Right now, he could only wait for the concert to start.

*

Percival thought he had seen a familiar shade of blue, the very same shade that had been haunting his dreams for the last few weeks.

However, even if he wanted nothing more than to go and find out what could possibly be that spot of color backstage, _Kingsman_ had still one more song to perform. In any cases, he doubted he would retain any of his energy if he were to step away from his keyboard to investigate.

It was worrisome, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it and it wasn’t from lack of trying. It practically felt as if some outside force had control over him, but that would be ridiculous.

Wouldn’t it?

Before he could follow that line of thought any further, he heard something that he had never heard outside of the early days of practicing a new song. He heard Merlin faltering over his notes.

Nothing that anyone outside of the _Kingsman_ would have noticed, but they had been playing music together for years now and were acutely in tune with each others. Where Percival would sometime miss a note or two and cover it up with his singing, where Eggsy would sometime start improvising and where Roxy would add a few beats, Merlin never let his playing vary. He was constant, he was predictable, dependable.

Him faltering even for a few seconds meant something _wrong_ was happening.

Merlin entered his view not long after, a shake of his head stopping Percival from doing whatever he was about to do impulsively. It was somehow frustrating, that continuous state of _not knowing_ , but _hell_ , he trusted Merlin with his own sister’s happiness, he could trust him with this too.

Even if he didn’t know what _this_ was exactly, nor why he thought he trusted Merlin with Roxy. They had never been together and yet, he had the distinct memory of seeing them smile at each other after sharing a loving kiss.

Merlin was walking up to the drumset as he was wont to do when they were on stage, even if Percival couldn’t remember any instance when the bassist had ever done so. He couldn’t see him anymore, but he could picture him standing besides Roxy, the two of them lost in their little bubble of affection and music.

Or it would have been the case if this was an usual night, but he doubted it very much, especially when he noticed Roxy’s beat become incredibly basic right before picking up again.

It was a good thing he no longer had a part to sing when he felt himself snap back into control of himself and only years of practice made his unintentional gasp of surprise sound like part of the song.

His first instinct was to run, but that was soon quenched by a wave of calm and the psychic equivalent of someone yelling _wait_ in his ear. And while Merlin had rarely used the familial bond they shared through Roxy, Percival just knew that this was coming from his friend.

If he tried thinking about it, nothing made sense based on his memories, but he had the feeling that the thoughts that now came to him unbidden were _right_ , while what he remembered of his life was somehow _faulty_.

Hopefully, Merlin would have an explanation once their song would end.

*

Merlin had known for weeks now that something was wrong.

He knew his own mind, knew it wasn’t like him to be so listless except at the say so of two complete strangers.

However, he had seen the way Percival would try to fight off whatever influence was controlling them, only to lose his will each time at the turn of a dial. He had been very careful not to show he was also resisting, bidding his time for the perfect occasion.

That was the only reason he barely faltered when he sensed that whatever had been controlling him lifted from his mind. He had been ready for it. Not that he had been expecting any outside help, but he hadn’t had much energy to spare except to make sure he would simply _be ready_. As such, he had not spent much time thinking what would happen once he would be in control once more.

However, he had always been able to rely on his instincts. And right, now those instincts were screaming at him to trust the familiar stranger standing in the shadows backstage.

It felt like he had done so a million times before. As if it wasn’t the first time he had seen those hand signals, as though it wasn’t the first time he was asked to take the lead in an operation.

It had not taken him long choosing the order in which to free his friend from the hold that was on them, not that they had any time to waste with such matters.

Roxy had been first, Merlin knowing that he would be able to use their bond to keep her calm and focused, and he had ignored everything in himself that had cried out that there was no such thing as a bond between them, that it was simply impossible, a mere fantasy.

He knew those emotions he could feel, no matter how dim they currently were, were not his own. Would bet his life that the presence he could feel as if through fog was Roxy’s, would have recognized her among thousands.

He was right of course and he nearly faltered again when the control over her mind was broken and the fog separating them lifted. Merlin never had had a home to go back to, but that was probably what it felt like.

He made the mistake to think it would be easy after all once they freed Percival, only to spot Gazelle walking briskly towards the stage, speaking angrily in her earpiece, and he was under no illusions that she was onto them.

So much for subtlety.

He contemplated making a dash for Eggsy, but Gazelle was already too close to him. It didn’t matter how distasteful the thought of abandoning Eggsy was to him, if they didn’t want to lose their chance to escape they would have to do it.

He consoled himself in the knowledge that it would be only temporary, that as soon as they would be in a relatively secure location they would come up with a plan to get him back. He had a feeling their savior would be the first in line to help, judging by the reluctance Merlin saw in his eyes just before he turned away and started running, leading their little group through the maze corridors.

It came as no surprise when they ended up in a parking lot. By now, they were no doubt being pursued and their only chance to outrun them would be a car.

It was a bit more astonishing that he had no trouble hotwiring one for their escape, but at the same time not really. Merlin had always had a knack with technology and Patrol training had made it so that not even alien tech would give him much pause.

Driving the car was another story, but while he _knew_ he had never driven one before, his memories told another story he was more than happy to follow.

And not a moment too soon it was, the car fleeing away under a rain of bullets from whoever was under Valentine’s employ. Merlin didn’t think he saw Gazelle among the goons, but that probably meant she was guarding Eggsy.

It took a while before Merlin felt they were somewhat safe in the low traffic of the city, enough for him to spare a moment of attention to ask if everyone was alright.

The two siblings in the backseat answered him reassuringly, even if he could hear how truly shaken they were by tonight’s events in their voice. Could feel it all around him, like a storm about to break.

He spared a glance to the silent man in the passenger seat, noting in passing the blue of his skin, not finding it strange in the slightest.

Or maybe he would have, if only his eyes hadn’t set on the gunshot wound on their hero’s abdomen, a wound the man was trying to keep closed with very little success.


	9. High Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re not going anywhere Harry. I trust Percival and Roxy to get Eggsy back safely.”
> 
> He really should protest, but with the adrenaline fading from his system, he was finding it quite hard to stay awake.
> 
> “They’ll need this,” he patted his pockets until he found the device that had broken whatever technology that had helped in controlling them. “Just point and press when you’re close enough to Eggsy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of various reasons, even if I am back from my hiatus on this fic, I won't be posting on a regular basis anymore. So I'll only be updating whenever I have finished writing a chapter and I don't know exactly when that will be. But I am definitely finishing this story, and most probably before this fall.

Harry didn’t actually pass out from the pain, but it was an actual relief when they got him inside the seedy motel room and he no longer had to fight to stay alert.

Lying down on the mattress didn’t lessen the pain as much as he would have liked, but his own comfort was currently very low on his list of priorities. His first concern was to figure out a new plan to save Eggsy from that madman.

He very carefully didn’t think of what kind of repercussions would befall on their friend after tonight’s fiasco. With any luck, whatever Valentine’s goals were, Eggsy would be too important to achieve them and nothing worst than mind control would be done against him.

The thought of anything else happening to Eggsy was nerve-wracking and yet, Harry was still carefully optimistic. He might have been forced to abandon him earlier, knowing not only that Eggsy wouldn’t have wanted Harry to risk everyone else’s safety just for him, but that Harry himself wouldn’t have been able to stand his reflection again if he had jeopardized everything without the certainty he would have been able to save Eggsy. However, things were different now. Now, he would have Merlin’s help, and Roxy and Percival’s, now he truly had a fighting chance and not merely a desperate man’s gambit.

“Do I know you?” Merlin’s voice crashed through Harry’s hopes, the words more painful to him than the wound in his chest. “I do, don’t I?”

“Yes, you do.” He nodded slowly, suddenly exhausted beyond measure. “I’m Harry… We’re best friend.”

Merlin’s eyes widened a bit in surprise, but that expression was quickly chased by a moue of deep annoyance.

“I’m sorry,” and Harry could see in his friend’s eyes that he really _was_ sorry, that it wasn’t merely empty words, “I don’t- I _can’t_ remember.”

A quick look at the other occupants of the room was enough to let Harry know Merlin wasn’t the only one feeling the frustration of inaccessible memories and Harry suddenly felt sick, even more so than when he had figured out that his friends were being mind controlled.

It was one thing to devoid any being of their freedom of choosing, one horrible, _heinous_ thing, but it was nothing compared to the atrocity of altering or stealing memories.

Harry wasn’t a particularly violent man, no matter what people would assume considering his chosen career, and was thus surprised and slightly afraid at the dark impulses coursing through him at the moment. If Valentine had been standing in the room, there wouldn’t be much left of the monster after Harry would be done with him.

Forgetting his injury, he tried to get out of the bed, fully intending to go find that poor excuse of a man and made him regret every decisions that lead him to this path, but the sudden move only brought tremendous pain and he could do very little more than just collapsing back onto the mattress.

When he finally could focus on something else than the sheer agony of his wound, he was surprised to see that Roxy was now sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly pushing against his shoulders to keep him in a laying position.

“You're in no state to get up.”

“I know.”

Her eyes widened in a way that would have been comical in any other situation when she finally realised just how serious his injury was. Not for the first time in his life, he was grateful for the Patrol training that had stopped him from projecting the pain for everyone to feel. He wasn’t sure what their blocked memories would mean for their empathy, but this wasn’t the way he wanted to find out.

Roxy soon went past her shock, ordering Merlin and Percival to go find her something she could dress the wound with. She didn’t hold much hope of them finding anything really useful in their room, not when they had chosen it for the anonymity it offered them above comfort or practicality, but she also couldn’t stay idle when their hero was hurt.

“I wouldn’t bother,” the words had a ring of finality that made Roxy gasp. Where Harry had looked ready to take on the whole world not a minute ago as he had tried to jump out of bed, he now looked resigned, _defeated_ even. Of course, none of them had more than the most basic of first aid training, but surely his wound wasn’t that bad? What she was thinking must have showed on her face because Harry only offered her a sad smile and patted her hand comfortingly. “It’s okay, if I hadn’t made my peace with how I would surely die a long time ago, I wouldn’t have chosen the path of a warrior.”

It was an old-fashioned way to think of the Patrol of course, but not entirely inaccurate. There had always been some among their people who had decided to devote their life to the protection of others and that had lived by a strict code of honor. When they had started to travel among the stars and found out that they weren’t alone in the wide universe, they had been the first one to come up with the idea of the Patrol for themselves and their allies.

“I always knew I would die far away from the land of my ancestors. I cannot express how grateful it makes me that I am to give my life to save the people I love, instead of dying in a foolish war I would not have believed in.”

Because it didn’t matter how advanced and powerful the Galactic Coalition boasted itself to be, there was always people who would lived by taking advantage of others and skirmishes still happened on a somewhat regular basis. Harry was old enough to understand that any of these conflicts could turn into a full blown war at any moment, even if he had done his hardest just so it wouldn’t happen in his lifetime.

His words had visibly upset Roxy, but he saw no point in lying to her. Stranded on an alien planet, Harry had no doubts that he was living his last days.

“Surely there must be _something_ we can do.”

This time, Merlin had been the one to talk and his smile grew a bit more genuine when his friend sat at his side on the mattress, carefully helping him sit up so that Roxy could more easily dress his wound with the cloths they had found in the closet.

“For me no. But we need to get to Eggsy somehow even if I fear we have missed our opportunity.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” He wasn’t that surprised to hear Percival speak. Of course, he was more of the silent type, but beside their raw talent, it was mainly due to his qualities as a good leader that their band had become successful so quickly. “There’s an award ceremony tomorrow, or rather, tonight, and even if my memory is kind of _blurry_ , I _know_ it was important for Valentine. No way he’s gonna miss it. Either he’ll take Eggsy with him and we’ll have our chance at the venue or he’ll leave him at the tower and we’ll free him somehow.”

It wasn’t much of a plan of course, but it was better than nothing and Harry was known for making worst odds work in his favor.

Not that Harry was going anywhere. He tried getting out of the bed once Roxy was done with her makeshift bandage, but Merlin pushed him back down on the mattress and he felt far too weak to fight with him.

“You’re not going anywhere Harry. I trust Percival and Roxy to get Eggsy back safely.”

He really should have protested, but with the adrenaline fading from his system, he was finding it quite hard to stay awake.

“They’ll need this,” he patted his pockets until he found the device that had broken whatever technology that had helped in controlling them. “Just point and press when you’re close enough to Eggsy.”

“Seems easy enough. We better leave now so that we’re sure we won’t miss our chance.” Roxy took the device from his hands, making her best to look sure of herself and Harry really wished he could do more. They were all capable of course, but they should never have been thrown into such a situation.

But even with Merlin unconsciously trying to heal him, he was losing the battle against sleep fast.

He felt horrible for it, but as he felt the unfocused energy curling around him, just enough to delay the inevitable, he was grateful that they did not have their full memories. None of them were healers or his bondmate and even if they had been, they couldn’t afford to waste their energy in a more directed effort to save him. They would need everything to escape and he refused to be the reason they had to risk their freedom again.

Even the very little Merlin was spending on him right now was too much in Harry’s opinion, but he feared that telling him to stop would only make him attempt something foolish he had no idea how to control without all of his memories.

And maybe that way, he would get to see Eggsy mostly safe one last time.

***

Something was wrong, Eggsy knew it, had known it for a long time. However, since the concert last night, it was even worse than before.

Before, he had simply felt listless, with no desire, no will of his own.

Now, now he felt cold and stretched thin, as if he was reaching for something that was far, far away. He felt _alone_ in a way that would have brought him to tears if that had not required more energy than he had.

It was like a weight in his chest, a pain that left him breathless and he couldn’t stop pressing a hand against the same spot again and again.

“Is everything okay Eggsy?”

It took him a moment to realise he was being spoken to and that James was looking at him, visibly worrying. Half of it was because of how hard paying attention to anything was and the other half was because of the incessant chatter from the crowd of artists surrounding them in the lobby of the theater.

“’m fine.” He didn’t particularly want to lie to James, but a threatening glare from Gazelle dissuaded him from trying to explain how he currently felt.

“Eggsy just a bit tired after the concert last night and all the shenanigans that happened at the end, isn’t it?” Valentine crossed the room to put his arm around his shoulders and he nodded in agreement, even though he couldn’t remember what had happened this morning, much less last night. “He’s just taking one for the team today. The others didn’t want to miss the ceremony, but after all that terrible business yesterday, they needed the rest.”

For a moment, James looked as if he had bitten into a very sour lemon.

“There’s still no new information about who that man was?”

“Besides that he is a lunatic? No, none. But we’ve upped the security even though it is doubtful he’ll try something so soon after having failed the first time.”

“I’m just glad everyone is safe for now. When you get back tonight Eggsy, tell the others-”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by an announcement calling everyone to their seat so that the ceremony for the Gold Record Awards could start.

Valentine let him go and only the throng of people all walking and pushing him in the same direction assured that Eggsy was also following. This time however, the reason behind his hesitation wasn’t his inability to take a decision of his own. After all, Gazelle had ordered him briskly to get going before she had offered her arm to Valentine. No, this time, the reason he was trailing behind was because of the phone that had somehow made his way into his hands.

He recognized it as Valentine’s, which meant he had probably took it from the man somehow when he had put his arm around him, but he hadn’t even realised that he was more or less pickpocketing the man at the time. He should probably return it, but right now they were separated by too many people.

It would have to wait.

He put the phone in the inner breast pocket of his suit, quickly forgetting all about it.

~

Eggsy let James spin him around when they got on stage to receive the Artist of the Year Award and for once he found it easy to answer to his smile with one of his own. Not because it was all that he had always dreamed of, since he had only ever wanted to _touch_ people with his music and couldn’t care less about this kind of recognition.

No, he was smiling back simply because James had never looked so happy before and his laugh was so infectious that it was piercing through the fog over his mind without any trouble.

Even Gazelle looked immensely smug for once, even if there was something off in her eyes when Valentine took the Gold Record in his hands and started his speech. It was in how cold the gleam of triumph in her pupils was when she turned them away from Valentine and towards the still applauding crowd. In how her smile was one of contempt, full of sharp edges.

A wave of pain hit him at the same time as one of pure _terror_ when he suddenly felt the true extent of what emotions Gazelle was feeling and he took a few steps back involuntarily, nearly tripping on the curtains that led to the backstage. Before he could start to calm down, a hand shot out from the shadows and clasped around his mouth before he could make a sound while another hand grabbed the back of his jacket. Still somewhat in shock, he didn’t even try to fight off his attacker until he was hidden from anyone’s view.

However, the moment he started thrashing against the hold, he was released even if his fist was blocked before he could hit the person behind him.

When he saw who that person was, he couldn’t have been more grateful for her reflexes as he would never in a million years want to hurt her.

“Roxy!”

She let him hug her for moment before pushing him back, looking around them warily.

“I would love nothing more than to continue hugging, but we should go now. Percy’s waiting for us in the car.”

With the fog around his mind now lifted and his memories of the past few months slowly gaining clarity, Eggsy had more questions than he had answers, but he trusted Roxy with his life. If she said they needed to leave, then Eggsy would follow her without once looking back.

Which was exactly what he did, not letting his confusion about their situation slow them down.

Maybe in the end, it would turn out that she had no answers to offer him, but he knew unequivocally that he would rather be with his friends than stay a second longer in Valentine and Gazelle’s company.


	10. Something About Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before he could truly process what he was seeing, Eggsy was crossing the room and sitting down on the bed, careful not to disturb the injured man lying in it. He would have felt bad about pushing Merlin away, but to be honest, he barely registered his presence at the time. Heck, if the stranger’s blue skin didn’t even faze him, he couldn’t think of anything that would.
> 
> “Harry…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those unfamiliar with the Interstella 5555 movie, this seems like an appropriate time to remind you to check the tags. For those familiar with the movie... It also feels like an appropriate time to remind you to check the tags.

The ride to the motel had been silent and somewhat tensed, but Eggsy had not cared at all for the simple reason that Roxy had held his hands into hers all the way through the door of their room.

As soon as he had passed the threshold however, the reason behind the heaviness in the air around them had become apparent.

Before he could truly process what he was seeing, Eggsy was crossing the room and sitting down on the bed, careful not to disturb the injured man lying in it. He would have felt bad about pushing Merlin away, but to be honest, he barely registered his presence at the time. Heck, if the stranger’s blue skin didn’t even faze him, he couldn’t think of anything that would.

“Harry…”

How he knew the stranger’s name he couldn’t say, but the smile he got in return was all the proof he needed to know he was right.

“Eggsy,” his name was barely more than a breath on the man’s lips, but it still made him shiver. “You’re safe.”

He nodded and once he realised that Harry was attempting to raise his arm, he gently grasped the other man’s hand to help him, leaning into the touch when Harry cupped his cheek.

“What happened? Everything’s… fuzzy.”

“You’ve been abducted from our planet by that Valentine man. For some purpose I don’t know about, he’s altered your appearances and memories.”

“So we’re aliens?”

“Some would say _they_ ’re the aliens,” Harry chuckled, before wincing in pain. Eggsy found himself aching in sympathy, imagining all too well the suffering he must be going through. “This is taking too long… May I?”

He had no idea what Harry was asking of him, but he gave him permission anyway.

Maybe he shouldn’t trust so easily, especially not after having spent months under Valentine’s control, but he couldn’t believe Harry wanted to cause him any harm. Not with how fondly he was looking at him, making him wonder what he had done to deserve such devotion.

Any speculation was forgotten when Harry’s fingertips brushed against his temple and he was assailed with something that wasn’t quite thoughts nor emotions.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t unpleasant and if it hadn’t been for the underlying current of urgency conveyed through the link, Eggsy would have found a way to wrap himself in what he could only describe as Harry’s essence.

Instead of doing so, he followed the other man’s lead through the memories-explanations, profoundly grateful for the warm hand against his skin that kept him grounded in the here and now.

To think Harry had lived for months with all that fear and desperation, all alone in a strange world… It had him on the verge of tears.

He wanted to ask him _how_ , how could he have not gone crazy in such terrible isolation.

He wanted to ask _why_.

Surely there had been another way?

He wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come.

Not that he needed them, because the thoughts-memories took another direction in answer to his silent questions.

He could see himself on a stage, lost in their music, blue skin flushed with happiness, blond hair shining under the spotlights.

Could see himself smiling shyly and laughing without a care in the world, dancing on his own, unattainable…

But he wasn’t, he had always been well within reach if only Harry would take his hand…

Suddenly, he was in his own body, no longer sharing his consciousness, but still in the fantasylike-memory, tying a pink and gold bracelet around Harry’s wrist.

He didn’t remember what had happened after that, couldn’t find the rest of his, _their_ , memory of that night, but it didn’t matter anyway.

This time he hold out his hand to Harry, laughing his joy when he took it after a moment of hesitation, and soon they were dancing together like he had always dreamed of, the love he felt answered by one that was just as deep.

He could have stayed there forever, _would have_ stayed there, but a sudden spike of pain broke whatever connection had been between them, Harry’s hand falling down to grip weakly at the sheets beneath him.

“Harry, Harry, you’ll be okay, you just need to hold on.” Even as he was saying the words, he knew he was lying. Already, he could feel him fading and this time, the tears came unbidden. Eggsy bent down carefully until his face was hidden against Harry’s shoulder, as if not seeing him would somehow delay the inevitable.

“It’s okay Eggsy.. Don’t cry… please… don’t cry…”

He wished he could have listened to him, but it was beyond him, an impossible feat.

How could he not cry when he could feel him growing weaker and weaker in his arms, until he couldn’t feel his presence in his mind nor his heart anymore?

They had just found each other, it couldn’t end this way!

But Harry was no longer moving and when he turned towards the others, hoping for something, _anything_ , they looked as devastated at he felt.

Percival was the first to regain his senses after what seemed to be an eternity of agony, but had probably been less than a minute.

“We have to go… We don’t know what Valentine wants with us, but the longer we stay, the easier it will be for him to find us. We have to go… and we can’t take him with us.”

As he was speaking, Percival had come closer to help Eggsy onto his feet, but as soon as his last words left his mouth, he stumbled away from him, as if recoiling from a hit, betrayal etched on his face.

“Wh- What? We can't leave him here! We just can't!” He was aware that he was yelling, but he couldn’t have cared less.

“Eggsy…” Merlin looked as if whatever he was about to say was physically painful to him and Eggsy would have felt bad if he didn’t feel so sick. “He’s right. We can’t bring him with us. There’s simply no way.”

He took more steps away from who he thought had been his friends. Right now, he wasn’t so sure. How could they even suggest they do such an horrible thing? That they abandoned the one who had sacrificed everything to save them?

Roxy approached him carefully, a bit like one would have approached an injured and cornered animal, her hand curling around his shoulder in a gentle hold.

“He knew Eggsy,” her voice broke and it was a moment before she could suppress her sobs long enough to continue, “he knew he would have no choice… He- he told us it was something he had made his peace with, that he had always known he would die far away from the land of his ancestors.”

Deep down, Eggsy had known it too, but he had hoped that, somehow, protesting the injustice of it all would change that very fact. But life had never been fact.

He finally let Roxy draw him in a comforting embrace, her arms the only thing keeping him upright as his body shook with the force of his sobbing. He barely noticed Merlin and Percival getting closer, barely felt the weight of their arms settling around his and Roxy’s shoulders.

All that he knew was that it hurt, it hurt, it _hurt_ and he couldn’t imagine it would ever stop.

This time he was the one to break their moment of grieving. The very idea might make him nauseous, but they were right. They had to move. He refused to let Harry’s sacrifice be in vain.

He might not know how yet, but he’d find a way to get all their memories back, he’d find a way to go home.

“We should go.”

If his voice broke on the words, none of the others mentioned it, nor did they mentioned anything about how he lingered behind as they were quickly gathering the few things they had taken into the room with them.

Once he was alone, he returned to the bed and, with trembling hands, unclasped the medal-like identification he had somehow known would be around Harry’s neck. It was so very little compared to all that Harry had done for them, for _him_ , but it was the least he could do. He bit his lips when the metal of Harry’s family crest came to rest against the skin of his chest, not wanting to cry again.

There was simply no more time for tears.

Gently, he cupped his cheek in his hand and leaned down, pressing a light kiss on his mouth. Harry’s lips were still warm under his, but he didn’t know if it was actually better than if they had already been cold. Not when it felt like Harry would wake up at any moment and return the gesture.

But Harry didn’t stir and already, he could hear Merlin calling out to him from the corridor.

Fighting down another sob, he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him without another look.


	11. Voyager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He felt more than he heard the others stepping in the clearing too, staying at a respectful distance from him. The weight of their emotions didn’t feel unbearable anymore, not here surrounded by small reminders of what their lives had been. Their sorrows combined, like the night, would pass. Dawn would shine on them again even if for now it seemed like it never would.

Before Merlin could open the driver’s door, Percival stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his way.

“Percival, now is not the time to fight over who is going to drive,” his voice sounded strangely choked up even to his own ears, but there was no time to lose. Who knew what resources Valentine had access to and what more use he would have of them. The man had managed interstellar travel just to get to them the first time after all.

“You’re right. Which is why you are going to give me the keys. Ideally, none of us would drive right now, but we unfortunately can’t allow ourselves that luxury.” Rightfully anticipating Merlin to protest, he raised a hand before even a word could make is past his lips. “Merlin, you’re _crying_.”

When his own fingers brushed against the wetness gathering under his eyes, he couldn’t possibly deny Percival’s claim. He might not consciously remember him, but he had just lost his best friend. He clearly wasn’t in a fit state to drive. Without another word, he let Percival have the keys, circling around the car to get to the passenger side.

Eggsy and Roxy had slid in the backseat during their little stand-off, sitting curled up together and holding hands. He could feel what he had no doubts was Eggsy’s distress, overpowering even what he might get from Roxy, making him wish he had any idea how to soothe his pain.

But aside from what Roxy was already doing, he couldn’t think of anything else.

Still, even if he couldn’t offer any physical comfort, he had figured out that whatever they might be, their people was either empathic or telepathic, or even both, and he tried to direct his intent in his direction.

He had no true way of knowing if it truly worked, but they had not made it out of the city proper when Eggsy fell into an agitated sleep, his hands still clinging to Roxy’s. It seemed as if she was his only tether to this world anymore and even after they made it out of the city’s borders and Roxy followed Eggsy into the dreamlands, Merlin kept a silent watch over them through the rear-view mirror.

He didn’t know what it would take yet, but he vowed he would see them both safely home.

He owed it to Harry, owed it to his forgotten friend who had sacrificed everything that he had had left to protect them.

*

Eggsy woke with a start, confused for a long time as to where he was.

A dull spike of pain reminded him of exactly what had transpired the last couple of days and he had to bit on his lower lip to stop himself from crying.

None of the others would judge him for it, but he feared that he would never stop if even one tear was to break free.

It took him some time to realise the car had stopped on the side of a dirt road, probably the reason why had woken up in the first place.

Roxy was still holding him, even though she was blinking groggily, but both Merlin and Percival were outside.

Merlin was pacing up and down the path, his eyes fixed on the shadows of the forest all around them, and Percival was leaning against the hood of the car, his eyes lost in the distance.

Looking at them made him itch to be out from the confine of the car too, and he carefully disentangled himself from Roxy, grateful when she let him go without a fuss even if he could still feel her eyes on him.

Once he was out, it wasn’t just the weight of her gaze he could feel, but Merlin’s and Percival’s too. It soon became too much for him to bear.

Their comfort, their worries… He just needed to be _alone_.

They meant well and he knew it, but he couldn’t help the resentment festering in his heart. They might be grieving too, but they couldn’t possibly understand what he was going through. They couldn’t possibly relate.

They weren’t dealing with this gaping wound in their chest, with the exhaustion of being stretched too thin. For this yearning for someone he knew to be far past his reach.

A glimmering fleck of light at the edge of his vision distracted him from the turmoil of his emotions and a humourless chuckle escaped him when he recognize a firefly.

A guide of the dead, how fitting.

He didn’t question how he remembered the symbolism of a similar bug back on their home planet he had all but forgotten, simply set off to follow it between the trees, heedless of the others’ call for him to come back or at least wait for them.

He wasn’t led very far, only to a clearing where he could see the night sky slowly turning purple, pink and orange with the raising sun. It reminded him of the sky from his dreams, the dreams he now was certain were his stolen memories. The realisation only made him feel more lost and alone.

The mere fragments of time he had share with Harry had meant everything to him. It hadn’t mattered that he had been all but a stranger to him, he was sure that even if he were to reclaim all of his memories, never would he have felt more connected to anyone else.

Knowing that he was now dead felt as if a part of himself had been ripped out and crushed before his very eyes. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to go on from here.

He knelt down onto the ground before a bed of blue flowers, gently brushing a fingertip against their petals. Harry’s skin had been the same shade, had been as soft.

He felt more than he heard the others stepping in the clearing too, staying at a respectful distance from him. The weight of their emotions didn’t feel unbearable anymore, not here surrounded by small reminders of what their lives had been. Their sorrows combined, like the night, would pass. Dawn would shine on them again even if for now it seemed like it never would.

At last, he stopped fighting the tears, keeping his head held high as they rolled down his cheeks. And with the tears came a song.

They were words he did not recognize and yet knew by heart, a wish to the stars, a plea for them to look after a lost and and unbounded soul.

They were a prayer for the dead.

*

Merlin called for a stop around midday, both to get gas and figured out what their next step should be.

They had left the city, but they couldn’t continue to travel aimlessly much longer or he feared they would spend the rest of their lives on the run.

He had just come back from paying the bored to death clerk of the remote gas station they had stopped at, wondering why the three others seemed to be so focused on Eggsy’s hand.

Of course, he soon realised that what had their attention wasn’t his hand, but rather the phone he was holding. It was strange, he couldn’t remember any of them having phones, even if Valentine had at least provided them with wallets and cash, the only reason they could now pay for the basic necessities.

“Where does that come from?”

“It’s Valentine’s, I lifted it from him.”

The words made Merlin’s blood turn cold and he had half a mind of flinging the phone as far away from them as they could. But whatever consequences would come of them having possession of it, they would be unavoidable now. He could only hope that it was simply his paranoia talking, that Valentine couldn’t trace the phone back to them or wouldn’t have thought of it yet.

Before he could convince them to get rid of it however, Eggsy put the phone in his hand, calling his attention to the lit screen.

“I had forgotten about it, but it started buzzing and there’s this alert about something happening at Darkwood manor tonight… I think we should go.”

Roxy and Percival nodded in agreement, dashing his hopes to make Eggsy see reason. He had no doubt that whatever was planned tonight, it would be dangerous and they should go in the opposite direction instead of delivering themselves up to Valentine.

“Merlin, you said it yourself, if we keep on as we have so far, we’ll be on the run forever. I refuse to live this, I refuse to let Valentine win.” Roxy’s eyes shined with determination and he was reminded once again why had fallen in love with her. “Whatever he’s doing, we’ve got to stop him.”

“We don’t even know where Darkwood manor _is_ ,” he protested weakly, but with any luck, it would buy him some time to think of a better plan than just running head first into danger.

“Actually,” from how pleased his smile looked, he knew right away he wouldn’t like what Percival had to say, “we passed a sign for Darkwood not fifteen minutes ago. We make it there before sundown.”

Knowing when he was defeated, he simply threw the keys at Percival. It was without a doubt the worst idea they could have had, but he’d be damned if he let them go by themselves.


End file.
